Seven Days
by miss selah
Summary: Kagome discovers a secret heritage and Sesshoumaru finds it difficult to stay away... With a deadline closing in, they are both faced with an impossible challenge. Is it possible to fall in love when you only have one week? SxK


**EDIT: I found the time stamp. I wrote this in from May 2003 - November 2003. So I was 13 when I wrote this. Actually, it's not that bad for a 13 year old, but PLEASE don't go in to this story expecting anything worth reading. I mostly keep it posted at this point to remind myself that everyone has to start somewhere. **

**This was my 3rd story I ever wrote. **

**You REALLY don't want to read the first thing I wrote.  
**

* * *

_**Seven Days**_

* * *

Just another day in Sengoku Jidai for the shikon-seekers. They all woke up to Inuyasha demanding they move, Kagome mumbling sit in her sleep at the request of a half-asleep Sango, and everyone going back to sleep for a few more hours. Or, that's what would have happened if Inuyasha hadn't pried himself off of the ground, drew his sword, and screamed out one of his two most common battle cries.

"Get out here and fight, wolf!" Inuyasha yelled in his best 'I am so NOT a morning person' voice.

Said cry had everybody rolling over and getting out of bed as Kouga burst in to the clearing, grabbed Kagome (who was still in her sleeping bag) and held her to his chest.

"My love, it is not safe here. The wolf demoness of the western lands is around here, and she should be traveling with a strong half-breed. I figured that it must be Naraku. You must come away from this area!" Kouga demanded as he placed Kagome, now fully awake, on the ground.

"Naraku isn't around here, he isn't even alive anymore. We're searching for some stupid dog demon that killed him for the sacred jewel shards from him." Inuyasha said as he sheathed his sword, willing to be civil if he could get some rumor about the sacred jewel, which was obviously connected to this Western Wolf. "And Sesshoumaru rules all of the western lands. There isn't any western wolf tribe."

Kouga lifted his head to the sky, eyes nostalgic. "There used to be…" Kouga began the story, telling it in great detail but leaving out every name.

_Flashback, eight hundred years ago…_

_"The western wolf tribe shall surely fall if we don't help them." The ten year old Sesshoumaru told his father, Inutaisho, as he looked out the window and at the battle field no more then a mile away._

_Inutaisho nodded. "Yes, son, but then we shall kill the ones who slaughtered them and take their lands with out dirtying our claws with wolf blood."_

_Sesshoumaru looked at his father with loathing evident in his eyes. "Why are you so cruel, father!?!" Sesshoumaru screamed as he turned to face him. Inutaisho didn't even flinch when Sesshoumaru launched his fist at him as hard as he could. "Why must you not be a benevolent ruler?! Why must they die!?!" Sesshoumaru screamed with tears in his eyes. _

_Inutaisho backhanded Sesshoumaru, sending him reeling back wards, holding his face in his claws. "How I rule is none of your concern right now, Sesshoumaru. You'll rule if I see fit, and then you can make your own choices. Until then, you shall not question me." Inutaisho's eyes lowered and narrowed on a wolf that stood at his front gate holding a small bundle wrapped in a cat skin fur. In one fluid leap, Inutaisho grabbed Sesshoumaru under his arm and landed in front of the gate. "What do you want, wolf?" He said as if it were a word that burned his tongue. _

_Sari, mate to the leader of the western wolf demon tribe, bowed lowly before Inutaisho. "Please, milord, we are all dying. No one shall remain once this battle is over. I realize that you haven't helped us because it wouldn't be in your best interests, and neither will what I am about to ask you, but please protect my daughter." With that said, Sari lifted the bundle to Inutaisho's face. _

_With a sneer, Inutaisho almost knocked the baby away, when Sesshoumaru quickly snatched her into his arms. "Father," Sesshoumaru said with more conviction then he felt, "I will not let every wolf die here today." _

_Sesshoumaru saw his father advance, but instead of flinching away from him as was his normal reaction, he straightened his back bone and glared up at him, sheltering the girl in his arms. _

_Inutaisho raised his fist back, waiting for his son's reaction. What he saw though, were his son's eyes narrow. What he heard, instead of a whimper, was a low and feral growl. What he felt in the air, instead of the normal fear, was power. Inutaisho unballed his fist and lowered it to the girl's head in a soft pat. _

_"I shall spare this girl's life, in exchange for two things." Inutaisho said with a velvet-covering-iron voice. Sari's eyes lifted in joy to his, before she saw the lust filled glaze in them. But even that didn't have her eyes lower. She knew she was as good as dead, and she intended to have her daughter live to see another sunrise. _

_"I have heard rumors about the sexual poweress of a female wolf. It's true that they mate for life, and I have yet to conquer one. You shall be my conquest." Inutaisho told the shaking wolf. _

_"As you wish, milord." Sari mumbled in an even voice. _

_Inutaisho nodded. "The second thing I demand of Sesshoumaru."_

_Sesshomaru's gaze turned cold as he met his fathers. "What do you command, father?" _

_"In exchange for this girl's life, you shall do exactly as I tell you without question. Is that understood, boy?" Inutaisho asked. _

_When Sesshoumaru looked down into the little girl's wide, doe brown eyes, his mind was made up for him. "I shall obey you without question…" Inutaisho's smirk widened slightly, "…as long as this girl never sees you again. She must live, though, and she must return after you are gone from this world."_

_Inutaisho's smirk turned to a smile of approval. "You shall make a great ruler someday. You just prevented me from ever touching her, or hiring anyone else to do so. Alright, boy, she is yours. Leave her some place safe, and I shant harm her."_

_Sesshoumaru nodded solemnly and turned to the eastern lands._

_* * *_

_It was only a matter of hours, ones that he knew his father was occupied with, before he came across the village he was searching for- the village of the priestesses. He accepted the glares with disinterest as he walked to the center of the village- the place where the head priestess, Midoriko, resided. _

_Pushing open the bamboo curtain with one shoulder, Sesshoumaru addressed Midoriko. "Milady Midoriko, I humbly beg a favor of you." Sesshoumaru said in the tenor that Sari had used for respect to his father._

_"Yes, demon?" Midoriko said with a glare. She was known for her hatred to all demons. _

_Sesshoumaru didn't flinch. "Please, milady, protect this girl." Sesshoumaru pulled open the cat skin fur to reveal the tiny girl inside. _

_Midoriko rose swiftly. "You would offer me a wolf cub. Ask me to raise her. To protect her." _

_Sesshoumaru nodded, not bothering to explain the situation, knowing that Midoriko could read it in his mind if she wanted to know why. _

_Midoriko nodded and took the child, looking deeply in to her eyes. Midoriko turned the full power of her glare on the child and the child returned it. Midoriko smiled slightly. "This child is a half-breed, is she not?" She didn't wait for the answer. "The mother is a wolf who broke her heritage. She slept with a monk. She had this baby. I wonder how the father doesn't know." _

_Sesshoumaru looked down, ashamed. "My father killed him when the war started. He didn't want the wolves to have any chance for survival."_

_Midoriko smiled at the demon and ushered him to her lap. Sesshoumaru came forward and clutched at her skirts and wept. "My father is cruel. He wishes to rule the western lands alone, and he is killing everything to get it!" Sesshoumaru wailed._

_Midoriko's eyes glazed slightly with tears that could never be shed. "I will die soon, and in the after math of my death, a jewel will be made." Midoriko knelt down to Sesshomaru's eye level. "I will not be able to protect her personally, but I do have enough power to send her somewhere where she will be safe. The future." _

_"Tell me, what must I do to get you to save her?" Sesshoumaru asked, eyes swiftly drying. _

_Midoriko smiled sadly. "I ask that this girl- her name Kagome- should be your mate when you are older."_

_Sesshoumaru stepped back. "Nanitte?" _

_"This girl will protect the jewel that will be my embodiment, shikon no tama. I can see it just touching her. She needs a strong mate, someone who can protect her, but still has the heart to send her away when it is too dangerous for him." Midoriko's eyes met the girls. "I see myself in her, I am already a part of her. I will use the last of my energy, being that I am to die soon anyway, and send her safely to the future. When I die, it will be your job, and hers, to protect this world in my place." _

_Sesshoumaru nodded. "Alright."_

_Midoriko pulled a thin dagger from her sleeve and Sesshoumaru immediately snatched the babe out of her arms. Midoriko smiled solemnly. "I need a drop of your blood and hers to complete the spell." She explained. _

_Sesshoumaru carefully cut his wrist, held it out to her, and did the same for Kagome, not allowing her to be near the babe with the dagger. He could smell dead demons on it, and knew it had dealt their deaths._

_"With this spell, she shall go forth in time. For the travel, she shall use a dry well. This blood shall seek hers through time, so long as the hearts are intertwined. He protects her, and someday she shall he, as I will it, so mote it be." Midoriko said the spell and fell deftly to the floor. Carefully, slowly, she rose and turned to Sesshoumaru. "Take her to the dry well on the edge of town. Jump in, and you both shall go into the future. Leave her with the Higurashi's, my descendants, and she shall grow there as a human. When she turns fifteen, she shall fall into the well to the time when your father is dead, so long as you remain alive." _

_Sesshoumaru nodded and raced away from the hut and out of the village of priestesses and to the dry well. He peered down, making sure it was safe, before he jumped in with poise, cradling the girl to his chest. _

_When he looked up, there was a well house roof over his head. _

_Taking a deep breath, Sesshoumaru left the safety of the well and walked to the front gate, where a young woman greeted him. _

_"My goodness! You're all scratched up, young one!" Sasha Higurashi exclaimed as she ran up to Sesshoumaru, pointing out wounds he hadn't been aware he had. _

_"I must've gotten me going through the underbrush on the way to the well." He muttered to himself, mentally making a note to have it cut down and cared for as soon as his father died. _

_"Oh, you poor things." Sasha said. "Gin! Get out here! These kids need medical attention!" Sasha said. _

_Sesshoumaru shook his head. "That won't be necessary, Ms. Higurashi." _

_Sasha slowly turned her head to face the young silver-haired boy. "How do you know my name?" She asked as she bent down to his level, and realized that the girl was wrapped in a ca-skin fur. They had come out of the well house, and those clothes looked like they were from the feudal era. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"_

_Sesshoumaru stood straight and tall. "My name is Sesshoumaru Nishi. I was sent from the past to entrust this girl with you." Sesshoumaru held out Kagome and Sasha gasped as soon as she saw her eyes open wide. The brown was lined with a thin gold, the color that mirrored the marking of a golden trinity on her forehead. Kagome yawned, brandishing two pointed fangs, and when the wind blew her short, black-blue hair away, they revealed tiny pointed ears. _

_Sasha took her fill of this girl before she turned to Sesshoumaru. She had noticed his markings immediately, but had ignored them, thinking it was face paint. "What are you two?" _

_"I am a dog demon, heir to the western lands. Kagome is a wolf demoness, heir to the western wolf tribe, and…" Sesshoumaru tested the way the next words felt on his tongue before he said them, "she is also my mate to be."_

_If Sasha couldn't comprehend any of this, she didn't show it. "Why can't you take care of her?" _

_Sesshoumaru explained the situation to her, and had barely finished when Gin, her husband, came out with a first aid kit. _

_"Honey, I thought you said they were hurt." Gin said as he set down the kit. Sesshoumaru didn't have to look down to know that all of his wounds were healed._

_Sasha turned to her husband with tears in her eyes. "We have to take this child." She said as she gently pried Kagome from Sesshomaru's arms. _

_Gin looked at the child, then at the boy, then at his wife, and finally, resting on the boy again. "You're a demon, are you not? A powerful one, and obviously one who can transcend time." _

_Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes, we are both demons, though she is only a half-breed. I can cover her markings; put a spell on them so that no one can see them until she hears her story, though. That would guarantee her safety until she was ready." _

_Sasha nodded and Sesshoumaru began the spell._

"After he put the spell on the girl, he left her and came back to our time." Kouga's glazed eyes took on their normal hue. "But who's ever heard of a time traveling priestess, eh Kagome?"

But Kagome wasn't listening. She was focusing on her breathing as the world spun around her. Scents, sights, sounds, all of them were boosted. She grabbed her head and the ground in order to anchor herself to safety.

"Kagome?" She knew her friends were around her, but she also knew that she would never be able to answer them if _they wouldn't hold still!_

Kagome fell to the ground, still holding her head. Suddenly she noticed that there were only three blurred figures in front of her. The silver-haired hanyou and the wolf demon weren't there.

"Inu… Yasha…" Kagome muttered as she tried to stop the sounds of metal against metal, the smell of putrid acid. Suddenly, there was only one figure, a red head that was guarding her fiercely in her inhibited state. But when she blinked, all she could see was a silver figure standing above her. The smell that overwhelmed her was not Inuyasha's scent of sweat, nor was it Kouga's earthy, Fresh Mountain air scent. It smelt like blood, acid, all overlaying a thin scent of pine trees and salt water.

Kagome's head stopped spinning as the figure knelt down and scooped her up. Her eyes used his as an anchor to this world. Gold, yes, but not Inuyasha's bright yellow gold ones. No, these eyes were deep amber, as if the blood they had seen had somehow stained the yellow.

"Sess… Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked as she slipped into a blissfully unaware state of consciousness.

* * *

"Sess… Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked in a drugged confusion before she went in to unconsciousness. Sesshoumaru allowed himself a brief moment of pleasure, to look upon the face of the girl he was promised to, to see her markings, clear as daylight, remarked on her face. A golden trinity, the symbol of balance. He grazed a finger over it softly before he leaped away from her unconscious traveling companions.

He had to admit; at first he wasn't sure if it was her. She looked so very… humane. He hadn't seen someone humane in years, not since the day he met her surrogate mother, Sasha. But when he had attacked her when he first met her in his father's grave, may his soul burn in hell, his poison had had no effect what so ever. That could have only meant it was her…

But still, he had been skeptical. He had watched over her, day and night nearly, until he was almost sure. And after he was almost completely sure it was her, he watched the well until he saw her walking towards it one day. She had looked around, like a hunted thing that knew she was being watched, before she rubbed her arms briskly and jumped in. He looked down in to the well later that day, half expecting to see her lying broken at the bottom. But no, she was gone, which meant that she was the wolf.

And she would be his.

Kagome stirred in her sleep, trying even then to protect herself by curling into a semi-ball, exposing only her spine to him instead of her vulnerable points. Sesshoumaru merely smirked and landed in an area where he knew they would not be disturbed. An area where he could mark what was his as his own, so she would stop growing at such fast pace.

Gently, Sesshoumaru laid Kagome down a rock and inhaled her scent by laying over her, supported by both his arms. He had waited to alert the wolf, which he had known would warn Kagome and tell her the story, until his arm grew back. He wanted her to see him complete, so he had waited three years after she had arrived in his time period before letting anyone find out about her. But now, Naraku lay slain, no longer poising a threat, and the remainder of the jewel that she wore around her neck lay in his castle. He had completed his part of the deal, protecting that damned jewel, and now he wanted his rewards.

Not long after Sesshoumaru had sent Kagome into the future, he began to dream. Wicked, wildly erotic dreams about a woman he had never seen before, had never met. She held no markings in his early dreams, but slowly, over the period of three hundred years, her markings had grown and become the markings of the wolf clan heiress.

When he had consulted a priestess about it, she explained it to him as he soul mate longing for him. She explained that it would take a three-hundred year wait before the time would come when he could take her, and Sesshoumaru kept his dreams out of his conscious life ever since. But at night he dream, and until the day he first saw her, standing bravely behind his half-brother, the creation of a human-hime and his father, he had never thought of it during the day. But as soon as he saw her, glaring at him, he knew that it had to be…

He had studied her tenaciously then. Now, he took his time as he ran his fingers along her skin and sighed when he felt her tremble. Leisurely, he bent down and allowed his tongue to follow the path, from ear, along the neckline, down her neck, her collarbone…

He felt her shift beneath him and suppressed the urge to groan. The friction was unbearable and as he watched her struggle back to consciousness he realized that they both had on way to many clothes.

Straddling her stomach, he eased off his armor, his top, and laid them on the ground a few feet away. Then, half-naked, he eased her arms over her head before he grabbed the bottom hem of her shirt and eased it up.

Kagome felt a motion on her stomach that indicated her shirt was being pulled off. 'I must've been injured in a battle.' Her groggy mind thought. That was the only reason any one would be taking off her top, as Inuyasha had made abundantly clear. Kagome sniggered softly as she tried to open her eyes. When she felt a tongue lick the spot where a hand had just rested, she inhaled sharply and arched her body towards him.

Kagome opened her eyes slightly and saw white hair. Sesshoumaru could smell her confusion, and would have explained everything, but there was one more spot right there that he had missed…

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked in her most confussled voice. "No, not Inuyasha." She said over a slightly suppressed groan as she arched her back out of instincts. "Who?" She asked in a voice dripping with lust. Sesshomaru's eyes strolled lazily up her almost naked chest and met hers. "Sesshoumaru!" Kagome screamed, immediately wide awake, and tried to stand up, just to be pushed back down and under his very male body, as Kagome now noticed with her unfamiliar arousal budding in her.

"Sess… Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked again. "What in the world are you doing?" She asked. In response to her question, Sesshoumaru arched her once more with one arm, stretched her with the other, and grasped the hem of the offending wool skirt with his teeth, then slowly pulled it down, letting his breath touch her, but not his lips. Kagome moaned loudly, against her will, and pulled out of his grasp with more strength than she remembered having in her position.

She quickly jumped into an animal position that she didn't recognize, and didn't question. Her instincts had saved her more times than once, and she wasn't about to not trust them when they were the only things that seemed to be functioning properly. She had never, ever seen a man look that good without a shirt on. Her brain seemed to cease functioning. If it had been working, it would have told her that the position she held herself in, low to the ground, finger pads spread, and aura growing, ready to pounce or run, which ever be necessary, was showing of her already exposed chest even more. Hell, if even a small portion of her brain was working, it would have told her she was in her bra and her skirt was hanging dangerously low.

But Kagome's massive brain skills weren't working at the moment. Sesshomaru's didn't seem to be, either, as he saw her in the position of a threatened wolf, ready to kill him if he took, ready to ravage him if he didn't. He was glad that his hakama was baggy, else he'd be tempted to rip off his pants, which, even at their level of baggy-ness, were still unbelievable uncomfortable.

"Kagome…" Sesshoumaru hissed out as his eyes dilated in joy. "Kagome, come to me. Let me take you. Give yourself to me… I'll give you anything… let me have _you_…" Sesshoumaru whispered huskily as he began to circle the demoness.

Kagome growled, low and feral, and tightened her back muscles. Her eyes had narrowed to one thing- him. "Go away, Sesshoumaru. Go very far away and don't touch me ever again."

Sesshoumaru was on her so fast she wasn't sure she had blinked. His left hand held both of hers, his right, one breast. "Touch you like what, Kagome? Touch you like this?" He asked as he ran one thumb under her bra to coax her nipple to a hard point. Kagome moaned lowly and tried to jerk away. "Or like this?" Sesshoumaru asked as he left his thumb to blissfully torture her while his mouth sought other pleasures. His mouth ravaged hers, leaving her wondering why he shouldn't be touching her for a second.

She felt him curse on her lips before anything else happened. He moved swiftly, replacing her shirt and his in five seconds flat. Kagome knew her hair was tousled, her lips bruised, and her eyes glazed, but for a second she didn't care. However, the spell she was under was broken when she heard a tiny figure crash through the underbrush, crunching leaves under un-shoed feet.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin squealed happily before throwing one arm around his leg, narrowly missing his hardened length. Sesshoumaru swore again, briefly, quietly, so quietly that Kagome wondered for a second whether or not he had said anything at all.

"Rin, where is Jaken?" Sesshoumaru asked in a voice that he had schooled over the years. Once more he was thankful for those hard years of schooling his father had insisted on.

Rin shrugged her shoulders and her eyes fixated on Kagome. "Is she Rin's new baby-sitter?" Rin asked as she released Sesshomaru's leg and grabbed Kagome's arm. "You're a lot prettier than the last baby sitter. Do you like Rin? The last one didn't and Rin got hit hard by her…" Rin shivered. If she closed her eyes she could still see the old woman baby-sitter looming above her with a paddle in hand.

"Well I don't think…" Kagome began. Sesshoumaru cut her off.

"You'll have a problem, since I only hire the best for my sweet little girl." Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome with eyes that dared her to tell the smiling child otherwise.

"Rin, I…"

"Oh! Ms., we are going to have so much fun! We can pick flowers, and read, and write and…" Rin rambled on as she stood and walked back towards to castle.

Kagome would have turned and glared at Sesshoumaru, but she was still in a state of shock. So Sesshoumaru acted first.

"Where were we?" He asked as he pushed and pulled her down to the ground, straddled her stomach, and pinned her arms above her head once more.

Kagome felt his chest scrape painfully against her overly sensitive nipples and hid her moan in a growl as she used all of her strength to push him off of her.

"What the HELL is wrong with you!?!" Kagome demanded as she stood and glared down at Sesshoumaru, whose eyes had suddenly bleed red, the color draining from his face along with it. Leaning forward slightly, he pressed his nose against her uterus before he jerked back; stunned that he could have missed _that._ Kagome was going into heat!

"You're… you're almost in heat…" Sesshoumaru said with a wicked smile. "Perfect."

Kagome lurched back at the sight of the look in his eyes, self-preservation on her mind as she took off through the underbrush, only to find herself in the small wooded garden of a large citadel. She paused at the sight of it, and as she paused, Sesshoumaru ran a finger from her ear to her shoulder and laid small kisses on her collarbone. Kagome shuddered. She hadn't even heard him move.

"Do you like it? It's partly yours. If it weren't for you, I would have never gotten it. All of those years of fighting with my father, all those years of him threatening someone weaker, I only got through them because you would have been my reward." Sesshoumaru said as he led her out of the secluded area and towards the heart of the western lands- his lands- the western citadel.

"Sesshoumaru, there must be some mistake. You see, I'm a human…." Kagome pointed to herself. "Hu-man." Kagome pointed to Sesshoumaru. "De-mon." Kagome grabbed her hair. "Human." And his. "Demon." Kagome pointed to Sesshomaru's crescent moon. "Demon."

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath and schooled his features to not laugh. Crossing his arms, he studied her face. She apparently still believed she was a human. The smirk couldn't be helped. How he was going to love teaching her otherwise.

"De-mon." Sesshoumaru said as he pointed to his forehead. Kagome smiled and nodded. "De-mon." Sesshoumaru said as he pointed to hers.

Kagome sighed. "No, _hu-mans_ don't have markings like yours." Kagome explained with an innocent smile.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "Then definitely De-mon." He said as he pushed her in front of a small koi pond to study her reflection. Kagome gasped as she pressed her palm to her trinity, willing it to disappear. Nope, still there. Damn. She tried again. Damn. Still there. So she did what any girl would do in her position.

"What the HELL DID YOU DO TO ME!?!" Kagome demanded as she grabbed Sesshomaru's wrist and launched him over her shoulder at the water. Well, most girls would do in her situation. I would do that in her situation, but that's just me. Anyways, Kagome stared at her hands in disbelief. Did she just _throw_ an obviously very heavy with muscle demon over her shoulder? Since when could she do _that?!_ This morning she couldn't pick up her nearly empty backpack, but now she can throw a fully-grown demon over her shoulder?

How did that work?

"De-mon." Sesshoumaru said from the water as he spit out a little that he had managed to ingest.

Kagome was still contemplating the situation when he swam up next to her. "I am a demon?" Kagome asked as she turned her arms over and stared at her reflection rippling in the water.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Demoness, but close enough. I've been watching you, Kagome, since you came here. When I saw you hear the story from Kouga, I knew it was time to take you. You need someone who can show you how to deal with this. And you need the best. Let me teach you to be a demoness. All I ask for is Seven days. One week. If you don't want to stay after that, well, I can live with it for a while. But you would have to remember that you couldn't hide from me. I live in the future, too. I know I do. And I can guarantee you right now that if you leave me, return to the future, I will be waiting on both sides of the well for you. I am also pretty sure that my anger would be a lot worse then, because I sure as hell won't touch any other woman besides you ever again. Do you know what that sexual tension can do to a man?" Sesshoumaru asked as he ran a finger up and down her calf, causing her to shiver.

Kagome growled and jerked her leg away. "Let's try a new agreement." Kagome demanded as she stood, causing Sesshoumaru to have to tilt his head to see her.

"What did you have in mind, Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked almost mockingly.

Kagome wanted to smack him a good one. "Seven days. I'll give you that. Teach me to be a demoness in seven days, make me want to stay with you in seven days, and I will."

Sesshoumaru thought it over. "And if I can't convince you to stay in seven days?" He asked Kagome sweetly.

Kagome shrugged. "I will leave, and you won't bother me anymore. Ever. But during these seven days, I will do everything, and I mean everything," with that Kagome bent down and pressed an angry kiss against his lips, causing him to growl in sexual frustration, "that you tell me to."

Kagome stood, leaving Sesshoumaru soaking wet in the pond. "Woe me, Sesshoumaru. I dare you to." And with that, Kagome flicked her hair and walked towards the castle. She stopped near a window, looked both ways, and came back to him sheepishly. "Where's the entrance?"

* * *

Kagome had made a lot of mistakes in her time, but agreeing to do whatever Sesshoumaru wanted for one week was by far the dumbest thing she had ever done. And "Whatever he wanted" probably, and this is just from her point of view, included sex, and that was in capitol letters. S-E-X, with each letter getting a little larger. Let's highlight that word, too.

But then again… He could have probably gotten her to do _that_ anyway, without her own stupidity helping the issue along. He was much stronger then she, even with all of her new found powers. They were pretty wicked cool, she decided using Shippo's words early on, as she could run pretty fast, fight decently, and her nails would never break! She could get a manicure that actually survived the feudal era!

But, back on topic, though she did have some pretty cool powers now, she still didn't know how to use them. And Sesshoumaru did. If she wanted to protect herself, she would have to learn. Who better to teach her than the western lord himself? He was supposed to be a little good at this sort of thing, being as he was given the title great.

But that brought her right back around to how dumb she was to offer herself up in exchange for some training. Kagome scoffed and turned her head towards the sun, glaring at it. Just because she had to do whatever he wanted for a week didn't mean that she had to respond. He could fuck her all he wanted she didn't have to move or make one sound. How's that for deflating your ego! She thought smugly. But, then again…

When he had touched her in the forest, he had barely to lay a hand on her and she was as responsive as any man could hope his woman to be. She wanted him then, and lord knows that her body was still craving his touch.

But just because her body wanted it didn't mean it was good for you! Let's show some examples here, shall we? People think smoking weed is a god sent pleasure, but lord knows it would kill you as quickly as please you. Cars seemed to make life so much easier, yet they were slowly killing the environment, and therefore killing the humans they made life so easy for. And chocolate was great for women who were having a little date with TOM…

A very special Time of Month. T.O.M.

Maybe that chocolate thing was good for you…

Back on topic, why did she keep getting off track, Kagome knew that Sesshoumaru was bad for her. Hell, his name meant inner circle of death! If that wasn't a warning, Kagome didn't know what was. But, like all drugs, and Kagome was sure that he had to be from how often she was thinking about him, he had to be bad for her. The only drug in her opinion that wasn't bad for you was penicillin, but she wouldn't even go into _that_.

Speaking of chocolate and Tom…

Kagome had started her period.

It was about this time, glaring up at the sun which was hiding behind dark clouds that were bound to open up any second now, that Kagome decided god hated her. It was that simple. Let's review the facts, shall we?

She had just talked her way into being Sesshomaru's love-slave

Her uterus had decided that now would be a great time to rip itself apart and do some nice redecorating in order to help in the aid of reproduction

And finally, in about three seconds she would be soaked to the bone.

Not a moment later, the sky opened up and poured cold water all over Kagome's barely covered body. She nodded and stood. Yup, god hated her.

God would give him more power in his next life for enduring such torture, Sesshoumaru knew as he watched Kagome's already near-naked body become even more near-naked as water poured down from the heavens and soaked her white tee-shirt straight through. So, the question now was _why the hell was she wearing some pink contraption over those lovely breasts_?!?

As he stood there on his dry balcony, clenching his claws into the wood until it began to splinter beneath them, he made a list of all the things that god had done against him today:

Had made an already bad situation worse by making that damned demoness go in to heat when he already obviously wanted her so much as it was.

He had given Sesshoumaru the morals of a Saint, and therefore Sesshoumaru wouldn't, couldn't exploit her little error of whatever he wants to do with her and go down there and ravage the little vixen

He still had to train said vixen

God had to give him more power in his next life for enduring this hell.

Kagome decided to get up right then, and as she turned to face the castle, she spotted him staring at her with heavy eyes. She stopped walking, glared a little, and continued walking faster towards the kitchen entrance.

In one swift leap, Sesshoumaru launched himself off of his balcony and in front of Kagome.

"What is you problem?" Kagome demanded, scared senseless when he was suddenly right there.

" _My _problem should be rather obvious, Kagome. What's yours?" Sesshoumaru demanded right back at her.

Kagome mocked a thoughtful look. "Hmm… my entire life changed in a matter of minutes, I am soaked to the bone, I am one my period, apparently I am some sort of soul mate to a human hating demon who rules the greater part of Japan, and said demon seems to have a large piece of ice shoved up his ass." Kagome glared at Sesshoumaru. "Did I miss anything?"

"Training session." Sesshoumaru said, handing her Tokijin.

"Right, training with said demon with ice up his ass." Kagome said as she struggled slightly with the heavy blade.

Sesshoumaru sighed as he watched her hold his blade wrong. "No, like this." Sesshoumaru said as he grasped her wrists from behind her, forcing her to hold on to the blade correctly. He lifted her arms into the correct position, and treated himself to a strong breath in her hair. "You are such a pain." Sesshoumaru admitted, causing her to turn and catch his gaze. She was stunned breathless. For a second, Kagome thought she saw… pain in his eyes. But then a drop of rain hit her own eyelids, causing her to blink, and the pain that she could have sworn was there was replaced once again by a faint mocking disposition.

"You to, ice prince." Kagome said as she jerked out of his grasp. Sesshoumaru quickly grabbed her around her waist, causing her to drop his sword. He held her tight and kissed her hair, not caring who was around to see his momentary show of weakness. When she began to struggle, he felt his knees weaken.

"Please, Kagome. Allow me this. Allow this for the good little demon who wanted to steal you away from the rest of the world for forever whether you liked it or not, but let you stay where you could get hurt if only it would make you happy." Sesshoumaru whispered in her hair. "Allow me this. Allow me to kiss you once, and I won't touch you again if you don't want me to. Just let me have this."

Kagome had braced herself for nearly everything the night before. She had come up with witty comebacks, devastating remarks, and sharp insults, all in case he was to demand for her. But when he whispered so desperately in her hair for just one kiss…

Kagome hadn't prepared herself for him being desperate, or for him to actually ask her for anything. Still, she was surprised at the answer that slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Yes please." Kagome said as she turned in his arms twined her fingers behind his head and lay one, childish kiss one his lips.

The kiss was soft, quick, and loving. Sesshoumaru couldn't have asked for more. So when she pulled away, and started to pull out of his arms, Sesshoumaru told himself that he could let her go should that be the case. He had expected for the fiery little wolf to insult him, laugh at his discomfort, and embarrass him. And he had expected every single thing to make him want her even more. But, he was beginning to realize that after three years of watching her, studying her, formulating plans about how to obtain her, he didn't just want her body anymore. Nor did he only want her to want him. What he hadn't expected, though hadn't ruled out, was that he would want her admiration, companionship, and trust.

So when Kagome started to pull away, he found it harder than he ever thought it would be, could be, to simply tell his arms to let her go.

Later on that day, Sesshoumaru was participating in one of his favorite pastimes. It had been developed over the last few years, and it always seemed to help him clear his head. Of course, now that the problem on his mind was the woman he was so intent on watching, it presented a bit of a conundrum. But, since Kagome's cheerful disposition had always seemed to oppose his icy one so often, even he couldn't help but smile at her cheerful laughter when Rin presented her with a lopsided halo of flowers.

"Thank you, Rin-chan! They are beautiful!" Kagome said as she gave Rin a "bear's hug" as Rin called it. The kind where she was completely enveloped in warm and loving arms that held her tightly.

Rin smiled and ran off to pick some more. Ever since she had discovered that Kagome's favorite color was pink, she had stopped at nothing to obtain every pink flower in the citadel.

Kagome frowned as she watched the child run off. Sad, she thought, that a child so young would have gone through so much trauma. Kagome didn't exactly know what had happened to Rin, but she did know that when a child was psychologically or physically abused at a young age, they felt they had to please everyone around them. They also thrived on physical contact. Kagome had to ask Sesshoumaru what had happened to the poor girl.

"Hello, Lady Kagome." A young woman said as she walked up to the contemplating demoness.

Kagome lifted her gaze to the servant girl and smiled. "Hello. Don't call me Lady Kagome, though. I am just Kagome."

The girl nodded. "Alright, Kagome-san, my name is Hikaru, and I will be your hand maiden."

Kagome stared at the girl as if she was slightly crazy. "Um, I don't think so." Kagome said as the woman tried to brush her hair. Kagome stood, pulling her hair out of Hikaru's grasp.

"Kagome-san, Sesshoumaru-sama will be most upset with me if I do not take care of you. He has commanded that you receive the best.

Kagome's gaze fogged over slightly, and Sesshoumaru knew, even from the distance that he was watching from, that Kagome was none to appreciative of the servant girl. He shrugged. It was his part of the bargain to teach her to be a demoness. A high-class demoness such as herself would not be with out a servant, and that would be his reasoning when she brought the matter to him, which he already knew she would. He had a feeling that Kagome just appreciated a good argument.

"Well, Hikaru-san, I would appreciate it if you would deliver a message to Lord Sesshoumaru-sama for me." If Kagome was feeling anything other than pure joy, her voice made no indication.

Hikaru nodded. "Yes, Kagome-san?"

Kagome's eyes flashed towards where she knew Sesshoumaru was watching, and had been watching since before Hikaru had come out. "You can tell him, from me, that he can burn in hell."

Kagome choose then to stomp away, leaving a flabbergasted Hikaru in her wake.

"Kagome-nee-san!" Rin called out to Kagome, who abruptly stopped and smiled down at the little girl. Sesshoumaru knew that Rin would be one of his advantages in getting Kagome to stay past one week. He knew the odds of someone falling in love in one week were slim, and the odds of them admitting it were even slimmer, but he did believe that he could convince Kagome to stay for as long as he needed before she wanted to stay. And he knew Rin would be his queen in this game of chess.

Kagome felt all of her anger disappear at the sight of the little girl. "Rin chan, I fear that if you pick me any more flowers, there will be none left in the citadel."

Rin's eyes suddenly alighted. "I remember who you are now! You are Inuyasha's wench!" At Kagome's face, Rin laughed. "That's what Jaken always calls you. But Sesshoumaru always kicked him in the head whenever he said it. You told Rin that some flowers weren't supposed to be picked when Rin was going to pick the black roses. Jaken told me later that you were a priestess, and a powerful one at that, to be able to recognize the black plague that the flower's bugs were carrying." Rin exclaimed, feeling a bit like a detective.

Kagome smiled, remembering. "Yes, the flowers were dangerous, but that's not why you shouldn't pick these."

Rin cocked her head to one side, waiting for Kagome to explain. Without a word, Kagome ushered the little girl over to a bed of new roses. Not even one leave was on them.

"Rin, what do you think this is?" Kagome asked as she fingered the barren stick.

Rin shrugged. "A dead rose bush?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, it is a baby rose bush." Pricking her finger purposely on the tiny thorns, Kagome let her blood fall to the soil, which greedily drank it up. Rin cooed and immediately tried to see to her wound, but was stopped when Kagome lifted her hand out of reach. "Rin, do you know why flowers are as pretty as they are?" Rin shook her head, and Kagome continued. "Because miko's blood gives them life." At the spell, the stick burst into bloom, leaves unfurling from nothingness, then flower buds, and then pale, perfect roses. Rin gasped and looked up at Kagome.

"You made the flowers grow!" Rin exclaimed.

Kagome nodded. "I like things that are alive. Life is beautiful. It's just a shame that you take it away by picking the flowers." Rin looked guiltily into her hand where a large bouquet lay. Kagome laughed. "It's alright once in a while, but flowers are so much prettier when they are alive. Everything is."

Rin nodded and, with a sense of enlightenment, worked up the nerve to ask Kagome a question. "Lady Kagome, will you teach Rin how to grow flowers?"

"Rin, it would be my pleasure."

Sesshoumaru knew then that he couldn't have picked a better mate.

"You're not trying hard enough, Kagome." Sesshoumaru said as he attacked her with Tensugia. It was best for training because it could inflict no real damage. A few bruises at best.

Kagome glared at Sesshoumaru. "I am to trying. Did you ever stop to think that you're just too powerful?"

At Sesshomaru's smug look, Kagome groaned. "Be careful, Sesshoumaru, this room isn't big enough for the two of us and your ego."

Sesshoumaru launched a light attack, and Kagome blocked it with little trouble. "Tell me, Kagome, how is it that you manage to stand with that chip on your shoulder?"

"The same way you support that big head of yours."

Sesshoumaru smirked and dropped Tensugia, lunging at Kagome with only his dulled claws. Kagome dropped Tokijin with a smile. This was where she had a little bit of experience. Hand-to-hand combat. Thank god for Miroku making her have to constantly attack him for being such a lech.

However, even Miroku's "training" didn't help much, for in almost no time flat Sesshoumaru had Kagome pinned to a wall, face against the cold wood.

"You're lucky that this is training. There are so many different ways I can kill you right now." Sesshoumaru stated as he ran his claws, now re-sharpened, up her leg. Kagome's body shuddered with anticipation despite all of her efforts to stop it. "I thin k I know why you're not getting any better."

"Why's that?" Kagome asked as her body tried to align itself with his.

"You have no motivation. No drive. You know I won't hurt you, but that won't stop your other opponents. Hmm… what can we do to motivate you?" Sesshoumaru asked, running his tongue from her collarbone to her ear, where he nibbled on it for a moment before lifting his head. "I know! Every time I beat you, you have to kiss me."

Kagome shrugged. "No problem."

"Not any of those little chaste kisses you give your son either. I'm not a little boy." At this he pressed his erection against her leg. "And you won't treat me like one."

Kagome glared at him over her shoulder. "Act like a man and I'll treat you like that."

Sesshoumaru pressed his lips against hers, hard. There was no gentle coaxing this time, no loving remarks, and nothing was held back. His kiss was a primitive kiss, one of anger and frustration. And Kagome couldn't resist. She opened her mouth slightly and let his tongue explore as it wished.

Something was missing, Sesshoumaru realized a few moments in to the kiss. She wasn't responding. Sesshoumaru would have that, though. He was much too cocky. And she had damaged his ego enough already. Loosing the hold he had on his sexual exigency, he began to coax her gently to the floor with one hand while the other held her head hard against his.

Kagome knew she was fighting a losing battle. She had decided that she would remain impassive in the face of his unrelenting sexual need, cool to him in every way she could. But his mouth was heaven on hers, a heaven teetering on the edge of insanity. And with his mouth on hers, she couldn't think, couldn't build the defenses she had been so determined to put up and keep up.

In order to keep herself distracted, she began naming pies in alphabetical order. Apple, blackberry, blueberry, that was as far as she got before a loud moan escaped her lips and her arms fell around his neck, trying to get him _closer_. He wasn't _close_ enough…

Sesshoumaru smirked on her lips when he felt her surrender. She had been sweet when she was impassive, but in surrender…

She was hot and needy, clinging to him like he was her anchor to this world, the only thing that could keep her from going over the edge. Ironic, he was the one trying to nudge her towards it. Okay, shove, but that's beside the point. She was wild, erotic, as he knew she would be. Wolves mate for life, and to have one clinging so desperately to him, he knew why the males never, ever left their women.

As much as he was enjoying his moment in heaven, he felt his control slipping away along with his sanity. Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled away from Kagome, who was panting heavily as she struggled to maintain her composure. He held her body still on the ground as it begged, pleaded, to be taken. Oh, how he wished he could do just that. But he needed her, hot and ready, body _and_ mind. And he knew that if he wanted both, he had to leave now.

"Well, I don't think that it's such a good idea for you to lose anymore. Next time you do, I might not be able to control myself for very long." Sesshoumaru said as he stood, straightening his hair and clothes, both of which smelt like _her_. Angry with himself for initiating the kiss when he swore he wouldn't touch her, angry with her for allowing him, and angry with himself some more because he left his mate waiting for him close to climax, he stormed out of the training hall.

And left Kagome sobbing on the ground as she slowly climbed back down to sanity.

Sesshoumaru was sure by this time that earth was actually a purgatory, and in a past life, he must have done some pretty messed up stuff to deserve _this_. He mumbled a brief apology to those he had wronged, but, to his dismay, it did nothing to help him out in his current situation. He stalked the back and forth in his room, hoping desperately that the exercise would allow him some solace. No such luck.

Cursing avidly, he decided that what he needed to help him get to sleep was a nice cup of chamomile tea (a/n: the only thing that allows me the solace of sleep…) But, to his dismay, his sanctuary was already inhabited by another light sleeper.

"_Hope_

_Dangles on a _

_String_

_Like slow spinning_

_Redemption _

_Winding in and_

_Winding out_

_The shine of which_

_Has _

_Caught _

_My eye"_ Kagome sang quietly as she moved in a business like manner, quickly and efficiently boiling some tea. It was a sweet scented tea, and it took Sesshoumaru a second to place the scent as apricot lemon (a/n: another favorite tea of mine… I pretty much only drink water when it's in tea, and I really like tea…).

"_And roped me in _

_So mesmerizing, _

_So hypnotizing _

_I am captivated _

_I am _

_Vindicated_

_I am selfish _

_I am wrong _

_I am right _

_I swear I'm right_

_I swear I knew it_

_All along _

_And I am _

_Flawed _

_But I am _

_Cleaning up so well _

_I am seeing in me now _

_The things you _

_Swore you saw yourself."_ Sesshoumaru had never heard the lullaby before, and it was a strange one. Obviously not designed to help someone sleep, but maybe to comfort? He let his body sag against the wall behind him as he allowed himself to be mesmerized by the hymn.

"_So clear _

_Like the diamond _

_In your ring _

_Cut to mirror_

_Your intentions _

_Oversized _

_And Overwhelmed _

_The shine of which _

_Has caught my eye _

_And rendered me _

_So Isolated, _

_So Motivated_

_I am Certain now that_

_I am_

_Vindicated_

_I am selfish _

_I am wrong _

_I am right _

_I swear I'm right_

_I swear I knew it_

_All along _

_And I am _

_Flawed _

_But I am _

_Cleaning up so well _

_I am seeing in me now _

_The things you _

_Swore you saw yourself." _Kagome wasn't sure what had made her choose the song, but she did know that she had an audience. She smiled, knowing that no matter how hard he had ever tried, he had never been able to hide his energy force from her. Of course she had felt it. Him, following the group. So many times she would look up, look at him, and she knew he knew she knew. But she had always thought it was for Tetsugia… She couldn't help but laugh slightly at the irony. Of course it wasn't for the sword. It had always been her. Even now, now that she was in such a vulnerable position, he wouldn't harm her. He never could.

"_So turn up_

_The corners of your lips_

_Part them and _

_Feel my finger tips_

_Trace the moment,_

_Fall forever _

_Defense is paper-thin_

_Just one touch and _

_I'd be in _

_Too deep now_

_To ever swim _

_Against the current _

_So let me slip away _

_So let me slip away _

_So let me slip away _

_So let me slip away _

_So let me slip against the current _

_And let me slip away _

_And let me slip away _

_And let me slip away _

_And let me slip away." _Had he been trying to conceal himself back then? Kagome wasn't sure. She wasn't sure if he was trying to conceal himself now, and she wasn't sure if she wanted him too. Looking slightly over her shoulder, she was surprised to not see his tall frame filling the doorway, making her look as small as she felt. _Why wasn't he coming after her?_ Of course, she shouldn't complain. She was the one that had made the loophole in their agreement, but Sesshoumaru should have seen it easily. _He had seen it, hadn't he?_ The thought went against everything Kagome knew about Sesshoumaru. _Why wasn't he exploiting it?_

"_I am_

_Vindicated_

_I am selfish _

_I am wrong _

_I am right _

_I swear I'm right_

_I swear I knew it_

_All along _

_And I am _

_Flawed _

_But I am _

_Cleaning up so well _

_I am seeing in me now _

_The things you _

_Swore you saw yourself." _Kagome couldn't take it any longer. She knew that he was just around the corner. Just around that kitchen door corner, listening to her. Walking slowly, oh, ever so slowly, Kagome crept next to the doorway and peered around.

No one was there. Smiling, Kagome let two tears slip down her cheek._ "Slight hope it dangles on a string like slow spinning redemption."_

Nothing had ever been harder in his life then to just walk away when she was so obviously waiting for him…

* * *

For the past few years, Kagome had made it a habit to be up before the sun for many reasons. The sunrises were so much more beautiful in this time period, for one, and the mornings before everyone else woke up were always such a nice time. She could enjoy the peace and quiet and tranquility of the morning until Inuyasha woke up, demanding for Ramen.

Why should she be one to break habit? However, though she awoke along with the sun, something was different about this morning. She didn't wake up whistling, and the easy smile that always seemed to play on her face was no where to be found. It might have had to do with the fact that she wasn't used to sleeping in a bed, as they had been traveling for the longest time, or that she didn't have Shippo to cuddle up next to her. Yes, those were both logical explanations, but Kagome was quiet sure that the cause for her sleepless night of tossing and turning was the youkai of the house.

So, as she stepped out of her room, she cast one long death glare to the room down the hall she knew housed said demon and headed to the kitchen to see if she could sneak some food away for the stray dog she had managed to find and hide in her room before she went to bed the night before.

_Kagome had barely finished sipping her tea when she was interrupted from her humming by the sharp yip of a puppy. Looking down, Kagome came face-to-face with a large white ball of fur, drooling slightly at the mouth._

"_Aww… Kawaii!" Kagome exclaimed as she picked up the tiny white dog and held her at eye level. "You are just the cutest thing!" Kagome gave the puppy a once over, and after seeing it had no collar and no collar marks, decided to keep it as her own._

So, Kagome sneaked down to the kitchen to obtain some edibles for said white ball of fur.

"Can you believe that Sesshoumaru brought that _miko_ here?" A feline voice came from the kitchen. Kagome slowed down, sure that they were speaking of her. After all, how many other miko's could he have possible captured recently?

Kagome was shocked when the thought of Sesshoumaru bringing some other girl to his castle hurt her heart. She quickly shook the feeling off, but couldn't shake the thought off so easily.

"Does he want to have us all purified into oblivion? Miko's kill demons, they don't _mate_ with them. I think that Sesshoumaru-Sama has gone off the deep end!"

Mummers of agreements went around the room, and Kagome was about to storm in there and give them all a piece of her mind when she felt two strong arms wrap around her- one around her waist and one around her mouth. Kagome jumped suddenly, ready to fight, when she saw Sesshoumaru smirking at her. He took his hand off her mouth and signaled her to be quiet. They stood there, at the entrance to the kitchen, and listened the cooks discuss them.

"I think that Sesshoumaru went off the deep end a while ago, though." One girl said as she flipped some eggs. She looked around to be sure no one besides the other cooks were listening before she continued. "Did you hear that he's been following her? Before he brought her here. He was following her around, sizing her up."

Kagome growled lowly and Sesshoumaru smirked at her. He wondered briefly what it was that was bothering her more- the fact that he had been "sizing her up," or the fact that everyone knew about it. Pausing in his thoughts, he came up with a third reason why she would be upset, but quickly denied it. There was no way she was angry at them because they were talking about _him._

"Yeah, and did you hear that for a wedding present, he got her…" Sesshoumaru quickly grabbed Kagome and kissed her soundly, a decent distraction if he did say so himself. Kagome growled loudly in his mouth and tried to push him away, catching the attention of the gossiping cooks.

When Sesshoumaru heard one of them coming towards the entryway to the kitchen, he grabbed Kagome close to him and pushed a hidden button that opened a tiny crevice in the wall just large enough for the two of them to sneak in to. He quickly shut the door behind them.

"Who was there?" Kagome heard one of the cooks ask.

"No one. It must have been from outside." The female answered quickly with a shrug as she got back to work.

Kagome stepped away from Sesshoumaru and ran in to a wall. "Ow!" She threw a glare at Sesshoumaru. "You jerk! And here I was thinking you wouldn't take advantage of me!" She shook on finger at him. "You are such a jerk!"

Sesshoumaru smirked and grabbed her finger quickly. She tried to pull it back, but though she was strong, she was not as strong as he was.

"If you think that _this_ is taking advantage of you," Sesshoumaru licked her finger once, meaningfully, "then you are in for a seriously rude awakening once this week is over." Let her chew on that one for a little while. Sesshoumaru thought as he pointed at a small opening in the wall. "Now, pay very close attention to the cook on the right." He said as he beckoned for his whip.

Kagome looked, not seeing anything. She was about to point out the fact that nothing was happening when a bright green flash of light blinded her. When her retina finally stopped throbbing, she saw the female cook, the one who had been saying rude comments about Sesshoumaru and her, lying on the floor and holding a bleeding shoulder.

"Teresa, you mustn't speak badly of Lord Sesshoumaru. His walls have eyes." A dark haired petite girl about Kagome's age told Teresa, the cook who was bleeding.

"He's a cursed demon! Cursed! How else could he gain control of the western lands in such a short time! It only took him thirty years to have complete domination of the western lands! He sold his soul to the devil. Why else does he never smile? He is evil, and I do so pity the girl, miko or not, who is forced to marry him!"

This time it was Kagome who attacked. Storming from the crevice, she was on the bleeding cook so fast she didn't even see her coming. "Don't you dare talk about Sesshoumaru that way!" Kagome said as she grabbed the woman by the collar of her shirt and lifted her into the air. "You are under his protection, and god save the demon who protects all of your lives! You no nothing about him! How can you begin to judge?"

"And you know more of him, miko?" Teresa spat out as if it were a vile curse.

Suddenly the fury in Kagome died out, leaving her feeling slightly dizzy. She realized then just exactly what she was doing. Defending her _enemy._ It didn't matter how kind he was to her, he was still just that. **Enemy.**

Kagome lowered Teresa to the floor and walked a few steps away. _What was she doing?!_ Sesshoumaru could deal with his own back stabbing servants, along with any one else that dares to insult him. And Teresa was right. Kagome didn't know any more about Sesshoumaru than she did about Kouga. And she didn't know much about Kouga. (A/N: Does anybody? I know that he is the leader of a wolf- demon tribe and that he is in love with Kagome and engaged to Ayame, but that's all I know about him.)

She looked around the room, staring back at all of the condemning faces. Quickly she turned her head, to see who they were looking at with such loathing, and realized, much to her chagrin, _they were staring at her. _She realized just then how very alone that she really was. And then one thought rang loudly in her head. _Why hadn't Inuyasha come for her yet?_

The thought hit her suddenly, and she stepped back in shock. More importantly than that, _why was this the first time that she was thinking about him?_ It had been three days since her kidnapping, day two in the seven-day capture period. _Why hadn't Inuyasha been the first thing on her mind?_

He was her first love, her only love, and her _true_ love.

_So why wasn't he here yet?_

Kagome dropped to her knees and began to hyperventilate. _What was she doing here?_ She didn't belong here anymore than a wolf belongs in a large city. _Why was she not back at home with her family?_ This week was her eighteenth birthday, and her mother would be wondering where she was. Her brother had bought her a sword set, one he could barely lift himself. It had cost him a small fortune, and he had been hiding it in his closet for months, thinking she didn't know about it. Her mother would look out the window, more and more often everyday, wondering _where's Kagome? Is she coming home this time? Will I ever see my baby again?_ And grandpa would be sitting out by the well, casting spells and chanting ritual words, trying to lure her home again.

She could be home where she could be loved right. She could be in a place where people didn't try to kill her every day. She could be in a place where she was valued for her intellect and wittiness. She could be in a place where people saw past the stereotype of _witch_ and saw her. She could be in a place where people didn't look at her with contempt or loathing or lust in their eyes. _She could be home._

Kagome stood, and a small part of her died down there on the floor. She looked up in to the eyes of Teresa, those condemning eyes that named her a Judas, and she couldn't muster up the strength send her the glare she so deserved. Instead, she lowered her gaze in submission.

Slowly she left the kitchen, followed shortly by Sesshoumaru. "What happened Kagome? You had her in your claws. If someone insults your honor, you aren't supposed to let them live. If you are ever going to be a strong demoness, you need to learn this lesson above all others. _You must fight for your honor._"

If Sesshoumaru was going to go on, Kagome didn't give him a chance. Turning quickly, she threw a single well-aimed punch to his jaw, sending him flying. Sesshoumaru sat up from the ground clutching his jaw in shock. _Where had that come from?_ He wondered as he tried to relieve some of the pressure.

"Why do you want me to be your mate, Sesshoumaru? Answer me as honestly as you possibly can. You will only get this one chance to win me over, because I can guarantee you, once I am free of you, and I will be free of you, I will never look back for you." Kagome said, venom dripping in her voice.

"What am I supposed to say? I admire you for you strength, because it was a soft, subtle strength that so many people seemed to think doesn't exist anymore? I crave your companionship because I am tired of being alone? I love you and can't live without you or your affections? Because I can't tell you any of those things, Kagome. I don't have that luxury. Never do you. Love makes you weaker. No, I don't mean that. Strike that. Love is a weakness that people can exploit. And I can't have any exploitation in my life. I have too many innocent lives to worry about!" Sesshoumaru bellowed out at Kagome, making her back up against a wall. Looking repentant, he gathered the shaking girl in his arms. "But I would love to say those things. Oh how I would love to say those things to you. But I can't. I can't say anything I want to. And you can't say anything you truly want aloud, else someone who wants what you have will take the thing you long for away."

"Is that why I am here? Because Inuyasha wanted me at one point?" Kagome asked, her voice muffled in Sesshomaru's haori. Sesshoumaru thrusted Kagome away so that he could see her face. And what he saw repulsed him.

She was crying.

"I know that I am not very pretty. I also know that I'm not very lovable. I'm not that smart, or strong, or quick. I can't cook, I can't clean, and I barely passed high school and will never pass college. But don't you think that maybe, just maybe, I deserve to hear those words some day?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Of course you do. Everyone deserves to hear them. I just can't say them. At least not until I know that no one can hear but you."

Kagome pulled out of his arms completely. "In my world, there is something called a wedding. Most humans eventually get married to the ones they love. Do you know how a human marriage works?" When Sesshoumaru shook his head no, Kagome continued. "It's what happens when two people standing before everyone they know and proclaim their love for each other and swear to only love their mates for the rest of their lives. Do you get what I am saying, Sesshoumaru? Even if you could hold me here, even if you could love me, and even if I could love you, I couldn't love you know that there might be someone else. That's why I can't love Inuyasha anymore. He could never love just me. There was always someone else."

_Kikyo._ But the name stayed in her head. Even after all these months, Kagome still couldn't bring herself to say the name.

"You've made your point Kagome. Now allow me to make mine. Do you know how a mating ceremony works?" When Kagome shook her head no, Sesshoumaru continued. "It's what happens when two people stand before each other and proclaim their love and loyalties to each other alone. Then, they give each other matching marks that say that they belong to only each other. The marks allow the two to contact the other one and know whatever happens to the other. There are no secrets. There are no lies. There is only each other."

Kagome stopped dead in her pacing. _Why on earth would Sesshoumaru want to do that with anyone? With her?_ Looking up at Sesshoumaru, she was taken back by the deep look in his eyes.

"I can't say those things aloud. But, if we become mates, you'll know exactly what I feel. We could never be separated without pain, and if one of us dies, the other will soon follow. _We are perfect for each other. _I wouldn't have picked you if we weren't."

Kagome stepped back, knowing that if she didn't, she would have fallen for him right there. "I can't do that. Not without hearing those words." Kagome tried to walk away, tried to push his words out of her head, and tried her hardest to not care. But she did. Of course she did. How could she not?

Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm and held her still for a moment. "Wait. Your birthday is on the seventh day, isn't it?"

Kagome looked at him, shocked that he knew. But she nodded just the same.

Sesshoumaru let go of her arm. "On the fifth day, we're leaving to your time. You need to be home for your birthday. With people who can tell you those words without having harm come to innocents."

Sesshoumaru was the one who walked away, leaving Kagome standing alone. She could try to push his words out of her head, but the words that lay between the words could never leave. No, he couldn't say the words she needed to hear aloud. But he could try his damnedest to show her.

"Oh, and if you wanted a dog, you could have told me. Don't keep him in your room. He's most likely not housebroken." And then there was the fact that Sesshoumaru was a heartless, demanding demon who would always control every aspect of her life.

* * *

The week passed rather uneventfully after that. Both attacked under the guise of training, Kagome, physically, trying to push herself past her own limits, trying to show him once and for all that she could beat him, and he, attacking her emotionally, whispering enticing words when she didn't expect them and kissing her whenever he got the chance.

In the past two days alone, Kagome had learned that there were many types of kisses, but all of them fell in to one of two categories: Defensible and indefensible. There were the playful kind, the kind that Sesshoumaru would sneak up on her, place gently, and turn away laughing, a sound that was as foreign to his ears as hers. Defensible. There was the loving kind, a light, soothing kiss that seemed to last forever and make the rest of the world disappear, the kind that Sesshoumaru would walk up to her slowly, purposely, grab her hand, study it, before he raised it to his lips. He would follow the arm and up to her neck, up to her lips. Indefensible. There was the kind where he would grab her roughly and unleash the passion that he held on a choke chain, showing her just what he could do, just what he longed to do. Defensible. And then there were the kisses that weren't placed. The kind where he would look up at her ands smile, making her feel like she was the only other person in the world. Like she was the only other person in _his_ world. That was the most indefensible kiss of them all.

Of course Sesshoumaru had noticed this pattern. All of his kiss that were placed with strength were met with strength. But all of his kiss that were placed with love… those were met with a gentle caring that he had never felt before.

Oh, he had purposes for all of his kisses, of course. The playful one, he loved to see the spark of indigence that lit in her eyes when he pulled a sneak attack on her senses. It gave her a 'holier than thou' type of look, and it had yet to cease to amuse him. The loving one, he couldn't seem to not touch her. He wanted to touch all of her, to taste all of her, but, for her sake, he held his emotions on a choke chain and only touched what she offered him. But that chain was broken with the hungry kiss, when he would see her and be so angry that he had the morals of a saint. And then…

He knew that technically it wasn't a kiss, but sometimes, when he would catch her sent, he would raise his gaze and see her standing there, and he couldn't help but inhale the air like a fine wine just waiting to be sampled.

Oh yes, over the last few years he had fallen in love with her. He could admit that to himself easily. But, in the eyes of others, he insisted on remaining impartial. He knew that that must hurt her, to see him remain so impartial, especially after what his brother had put her through, but he also knew that she could heal emotionally. If she were to die because someone was to try to use her to their advantage… He'd follow where she led. No matter how many lives were lost because he couldn't protect them. But still, he wouldn't risk not being able to find her again. Of course she didn't know that. He hadn't bothered to tell her. Didn't think that he could find the words she deserved to hear.

Therefore, it came as a surprise to him when, on the morning of the sixth day, the morning they were supposed to leave to her time, she wasn't packed to leave.

He had gone to collect her and her things, and upon arriving in her room, saw her brushing her hair, yellow backpack empty.

The dog had announced his arrival even before Kagome could hear him. She knew she had to be prepared for whatever he may do. He never came to her bedroom alone, however, this time she only heard one set of footprints.

"Kagome, why aren't you ready?" Sesshoumaru asked, facing her reflection in the mirror as he grabbed her hairbrush and began to brush her hair himself.

"Ready?" What was he talking about? Kagome wondered momentarily before realization sunk in. "Is today the sixth day?" Not giving him a chance to answer, she shot out of the chair and ran to the closest. "I completely forgot! You were going to take me home!" Suddenly, Kagome stopped. _Inuyasha hadn't shown up yet, but if he was still trying to find her, he would be pretty upset if she wasn't at the castle._

"I have informed the servants to tell Inuyasha were we are at, should he arrive while we are gone."

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru with gleaming eyes. She knew that she shouldn't cry, but she did anyways. Running for him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly to her. "You're always there for me. How come? How come you always know what's on my mind? How come you always try so damned hard?"

Sesshoumaru smoothed her hair lovingly, like one would soothe a child. "You always show exactly what you're thinking on your face. You aren't so tough to read. And I do something about it because I can. Because I want to. Because I…" He almost said the words. Kagome knew what the rest of the sentence was, but she couldn't understand him. They were alone, why couldn't he say them?

Kagome had reached a point of understanding about the fourth day. He did love her, she knew, and she also knew that, with time, she could love him. He had already worked his way into her heart, and that seed of caring would soon blossom into love. But, she concluded, she would not tell him that, not agree to anything, until he said the words she so desperately needed to hear. Inuyasha had never said them, even after she had. She believed in the saying _fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me_ and she lived by it. She would not give her heart away on a silver platter ever again.

"He won't come." Sesshoumaru told her as he held her closer, just to be sure, she wouldn't run at the statement. "He's not coming. He would have been here by now. You know that, right?"

Kagome nodded against his chest.

"You know that he left you."

Kagome sobbed and nodded again.

"You know that I never will."

Kagome couldn't nod to that one.

"Tell me you know it. Tell me you know I won't leave you." Sesshoumaru demanded as he placed a finger under her chin, forcing her gaze to his. "Say it Kagome."

Kagome shook her head and pulled herself out of his grasp. "You know I can't say it. I can't say it anymore than you can say the words I need you to hear."

"I have a legitimate reason for not saying them!" Sesshoumaru said, suddenly desperate. _She's pulling away again…_

"I can't have my heart broken again. I'm not made of glass, but I sure as hell am not made of ice."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Sesshoumaru demanded. "Are you saying that I can't love you? HA! What a joke. Anybody could love you!"

"But I can't love anymore." Kagome said, and finished her packing. "I said the words first once, and it destroyed me. I won't make that mistake again." She put her backpack on and glared at him. "Take me home now, please."

Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome roughly and led her down the halls and to the waiting Ah-Uh. Non to gently, he mounted her on the dragon and got on behind her. "Yip, yip." He told Ah-Uh and with a flick of the reigns, they were airborne.

The journey was short, but it seemed to last forever in the silence. When Kagome could see the well, she finally spoke. "I don't know if you can get through. Nobody but Inuyasha and I have been able to, but, then again, nobody but Inuyasha and I have tried."

"Are you saying that Inuyasha can do something that I can't?" The words held innuendoes, and were much closer to her ear than she expected.

"I won't say it, Sesshoumaru." Kagome told him as she jerked farther away from him. "Not until you say it."

With a grunt, Ah-Uh landed by the well. Sesshoumaru peered into the darkness and took Kagome's bag from her. "What are you doing now?" Kagome asked. Her question was answered when he grabbed her as well and jumped down the well. Holding her close, as the blue light enveloped them, Sesshoumaru whispered three words in to her ear, so that no one else could hear them.

"I love you."

* * *

Kagome blinked in shock as the blue light faded from her eyes. Sesshomaru's face remained calm, not at all like the face of someone who just whispered those three words that she had been so desperate to hear.

_I love you_.

Had he really said that? Or were Kagome's ears playing tricks on her.

Inuyasha had made it obvious (painfully so, at some points) that those were words that weren't meant to grace her ears. And Sesshomaru, while he hadn't said that she didn't deserve them, he had said that they were the only three words he couldn't tell her. Why should now be any different? A few days ago, se had practically begged for him to say them, and then he had said no. _Why would he say them now?_

Said party's eyes were unfocused, and he was slightly off balance. Kagome tried to find out why he was so stricken, when she inhaled and-

Passed out in Sesshomaru's arms.

When Kagome awoke, she had a damp clothe pressed over her nose and her mouth.

"Wht hppnd?" She asked in a muffled voice.

Sesshomaru was have tempted to release a heavy breath of relief, but held it in because they were in the presence of Kagome's little brother, Souta. He had a similar wet clothe over his nose, trying to prevent himself from similarly passing out from the heavy fumes.

"What is wrong with your time period? It reeks of toxic chemicals and fumes! Are you sure that it's safe here? Won't the poisons in the air affect our health?" Sesshomaru asked in a mildly concerned voice.

Kagome rose with a hand on her head. "The fumes… they have never been so bad before." Kagome said as she rubbed her temples, trying desperately to alleviate the pain that had accumulated there. "Why now?"

"Because your demonic senses have been awakened. All of your senses are heightened, and it could be dangerous for you, if you can't learn to regulate how much of the fumes you allow into your system." Sesshomaru looked thoughtful.

Kagome glared at him lightly. "Weren't you supposed to teach me how to be a demoness this last week?"

Sesshomaru shook his head. "It's much harder to teach someone how to control their abilities than it is to teach someone how to defend them selves." Sesshomaru looked pensive. "That's the main reason why I am so against Inuyasha trying to use the shikon no tama to become all demon."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked. Souta leaned in, wondering about half of he things they were saying, but not interrupting for fear they would kick him out of Kagome's room.

"There are certain powers that one is born with. Your strengths, your weaknesses, your control, all of these things have a limit. Inuyasha wishes to surpass his own limit. It is my job as ruler of the western lands to destroy all demons that are power hungry. Who attack shamelessly. All demons that do so were not raised to handle their own abilities. Should Inuyasha turn demon someday, he would lose control of his powers. Powers that are too great for him. And, as ruler of the western lands, it may very well be my job to put him down." Sesshomaru looked away, not bearing to see the look on Kagome's face when he shared the truth. "I may very well have to slaughter my own brother one day."

"But, I thought that you hated Inuyasha because he was half human?"

Sesshomaru shook hid head. "I do not hate my younger brother. I simply have to train him in some way. I hope that maybe, one day, other demons will accept him into court. But no, they will not accept him if he has turned. They will accept him if he gains power through his own strength, though."

Kagome nodded, slightly confused but still…

It did make sense.

Kagome hadn't been training with Sesshomaru long, not even a week, but even so, she had realized that Sesshomaru could easily take down his brother. He could easily take down anyone he chooses. She had often wondered, when she traveled with Inuyasha, how strong Sesshomaru actually was. Even now she didn't know. But she did know his fear. He had confessed to her that when Inuyasha changed, Sesshomaru grew frightened. Now she knew why. Because, despite all of his good intention, Sesshomaru couldn't stop the fact that one day, it would be his job to slaughter his brother.

"So, Kagome's a demoness, huh? I suppose it makes sense. I always knew we were too different for us to be related by blood." Souta finally made his presence known. "But I had no idea that Inuyasha had an older brother. Your armor is way cooler than his! And you have two swords! Cool. I like your tattoos. I wanna get a tattoo, but mom says that I have to wait until I turn eighteen. That's five more years, and I guess that doesn't seem like very long to a demon, but to me it is. Demon lord of the west? Cool! So, does that make Inuyasha royalty? He sure doesn't at like it. He acts more like a…

"Enough rambling Souta. Welcome, Lord Sesshomaru. The years have treated you well, I assume?" Sasha asked with a slight bow.

"Sasha." Sesshomaru returned the bow. "Kagome has awakened, as you can see, and I am sure you know what that means."

Looking away, Sasha forced a meek smile. "Will she be happy?"

"What's going on?" Kagome asked. "Why is everyone so sad?"

Sesshomaru looked upon Kagome and, with a deep breath, began to explain. "You aren't of this time period. Midoriko said that she would use her powers to make it so you could live here, but you don't belong here. You belong in the past, in the tie period you were born in. You belong with a pack, leading your wolves. You belong with… someone like you." Sesshomaru had almost said you belong with me.

Kagome tried to comprehend the meaning. "So…"

Sasha grabbed Kagome's hand and wrapped her arms around her. "Don't worry about it now. Let's just enjoy your birthday, okay?"

Kagome nodded. "But you'll have to tell me sooner or later."

Sesshomaru looked away, unable to meet her gaze for fear he would tell her sooner than she needed to know.

* * *

The day that one was born was a special day, a day to remember and celebrate. This much Sesshomaru knew. But he had never seen anyone actually go out of their way to make someone so happy just because it was a special day.

Sasha, however, was doing her best to make Kagome perfectly happy. Cake, iced cream, sukiyaki, ramen, oden, sushi, miso, the works.

There was paper every where, (Kagome called it confetti) and a single donkey shaped decoration hung from the ceiling.

Sesshomaru watched with the same passive emotion as a mother would watch her children playing together as Kagome and Souta ran around the house, squirting each other with blue string that came out of a bottle. It smelt funny, but since it was obviously not dangerous, he didn't break them up.

"Sesshomaru, does Kagome know?" Sasha asked as she stepped behind him quietly. Even Sesshomaru keen hearing almost missed the sounds of her footsteps.

Sesshomaru shook his head. "I'm surprised that you know. Who told you?"

"She has her own legend, you know. Her legend is one of a half breed demoness who transcended time." Sasha didn't tell him that he was in it too.

"And?" Sesshomaru asked.

"And in the legend, she can't return to the past. Do you know why, Sesshomaru? The legend isn't too clear on it."

Sesshomaru looked away, careful to not catch her hopeful gaze. Sasha knew that Kagome was going to have to choose: the past or the future.

"The well works by the power of Midoriko. It was only going to work until she found out that she was a demoness. And then she had her choice. Stay here or there. She'll still be a demoness on either side, though."

"She can't keep traveling back and forth, then?"

Sesshomaru shook his head. He waited a few moments before he asked her a question. "Do you know which side she chooses?"

Sasha shook her head. "I don't even think she knows."

The conversation could have gone on, but Kagome chose this moment to launch an attack on Sesshomaru via silly string. Laughing, she and Souta bailed in to the kitchen.

Sesshomaru shook his head and suppressed a hearty laugh. "I don't suppose it really matters. It's not really that important."

A few hours later, Souta joined Sesshomaru on the roof to discuss matters of the up most importance.

"What'd' you get 'er for her birthday?" Souta asked as he munched on a chocolate pocky stick.

Well, up most importance to a thirteen year old boy.

"Why?" Sesshomaru asked him, eyeing through the corner of his eye.

"Hmm? Why what?"

"Why would you like to know?" Sesshomaru asked in a cold voice.

Souta shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? So I don't get her the same thing! Her boyfriend's gift is supposed to be the most special, and it wouldn't be cool if her brother got her the same thing!"

Sesshomaru chuckled softly and laid a hand gently on Souta's shoulder. "You are a good boy, Souta, and someday you will be a fine man. Have you taken care of your sister well?"

Souta puffed out his chest. "I am the man of the house!"

"And a fine man you are. This is why I am going to ask your permission to give her this." Reaching in to his haori, Sesshomaru pulled out a tiny pink jeweled ring.

Souta's eye's widened. "Is that the rest of the shikon jewel?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "Aside from the few pieces she has, it's the whole thing. I want to marry your sister, Souta, and where I come from it is always best to receive blessings from her guardians. You are the man of the house, Souta, and I would not feel right taking her as my bride unless I had your blessings."

Souta's eyes were still wide. "Before I give you anything, why can't she feel the jewel shards? Isn't she supposed to be its guardian?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "Yes, but I am it's guardian as well. I asked Midoriko to hide the aura of the shikon jewel so that Kagome couldn't feel it."

"You asked Midoriko? You mean she's still alive? Then why isn't she guarding the jewel?"

Sesshomaru shook his head. "She's not alive. She _is_ the jewel. She's one of the four souls."

Souta slowly tried to comprehend this. "How does that work?"

Sesshomaru took a deep breath and began to explain.

"The jewel of four souls is called so because it _is_ four souls. One day, Midoriko was attacked by three very powerful demons. She had little strength, but with the last of it, she took the souls from their bodies and brought them inside herself. Then, she herself became the jewel. All four souls' battle on to this day inside the jewel, and the only way it can be purified is if a pure wish is made on it."

Souta nodded in comprehension. "But there's one problem with that." Kagome said, and Sesshomaru looked over, interested to see what could have possibly been wrong with Midoriko's reasoning. "There is no good, and there is no evil, there are only the intentions behind them."

"Hey Kagome, when did you get up here?" Souta asked.

"About the part of Midoriko making it so that the only way to purify the jewel is with a pure wish. It wouldn't work."

"How do you figure?"

Kagome shrugged and sat beside him. "Think of it this way. If someone were to wish that everyone was happy, that would make it so that everyone, good and evil, was happy. The good would have happy lives, with small things- homes, families, wealth, and they would be pleasant and contented. But only evil things could keep the evil ones happy. Therefore, the wish could only work on one group. It all depends on your intention behind it."

Sesshomaru nodded, and Souta decided to leave before he got a headache.

Kagome sat down next to Sesshomaru, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's a nice night out tonight, huh?"

Sesshomaru nodded and leaned back against his elbows, then his back. He propped his head up on one arm.

"Did you mean it? What you said to me in the well?"

Sesshomaru nodded again, wrapped the other arm around Kagome and pulled her down to him.

"Why would you say that here and not there?" Kagome asked as she melted into his embrace. "You don't have to answer, it's not really all that important."

Sesshomaru chuckled, a sound Kagome's ears were still getting used to.

"While it may not be all that important, I feel it's entirely necessary."

Kagome smiled. "You need a vocabulary lesson. The words are synonymous."

"And yet, in spite of the fact that you are so narrow-minded, I love you any ways." Sesshomaru said as he patted her on the head gently, once, twice.

Kagome smiled up at him, a light hearted smile. "Promise?"

Sesshomaru didn't hesitate to nod.

Kagome giggled, a childish giggle that suited her perfectly. "I love you too."

(A/N: Oh, the fluff! It burns!!! It's suffocating me!!! I can't breath!!! *Deep breath, heavy inhalation * I'm drowning in the fluffiness! )

Sesshomaru supposed that it was natural in this time period to bake a cake in order to celebrate a birthday.

He also assumed that it was natural to wrap gifts in pretty silver and pink wrapping paper.

But what he couldn't get over was the large, paper donkey hanging limply from the ceiling by a single black cord.

He stepped up to it, intrigued, yes, but also slightly concerned as to exactly why it was there.

"You hit it with a bat, and candy comes out." Sasha said as she walked passed him and put a bowl of Doritos on the side table. Sesshomaru stared at her as if she had two heads.

"You do what?" He asked, sure that he had heard her wrong.

"Before you hang it up, you stuff it with candy. Then you blindfold the person who's attacking it and they break it open with a wooden baseball bat. And then out comes the candy." Sasha saw Sesshomaru divert his gaze. "You haven't told her that she has to choose yet, have you? That the well magic will only let her pass through if she passes with you? And that you can only pass through once more?"

Sesshomaru sighed. "It is a heavy burden that she has to carry. Protect the Shikon Jewel. Protect the Western Wolves. Get good grades. Be strong. Care for her family. How can I make her decide? It's not right. Maybe I should just stay here…" Sesshomaru thought for a second.

Sasha slammed the glass she was drinking some water out of on to the wood of the side table. "Don't you ever think like that again. You have heavy burdens to bear too, Sesshomaru, and you could alter all of time if you stay here. You have to go back and protect your lands, whether she comes with you or not. You have no option. You are not welcome here."

Sesshomaru glared at Sasha, knowing she spoke the truth but wishing that the words weren't spoken out loud. He might have been able to go on ignoring the truth if he could have _just stayed with her_.

Sasha sighed. "I apologize, Sesshomaru. It really is Midoriko's fault, though, for making it so that she couldn't have everything. Making it so that she had to choose… she may have been a holy woman, but she was a cruel woman none the less." Sasha said with a wave of her hand.

Sesshomaru shrugged. "And also a wise woman. She not only knew that the time flax wasn't supposed to be disrupted anymore than it already is, but she also knew to keep a helpless baby in the world, for no reason other than it was a child. Breed hadn't mattered to her, and I would be happy to do everything over again the same way, just for that. But we do know one thing."

"What's that?" Sasha asked, skimming over her own thoughts to see if she had missed something that he hadn't.

"Everything turned out exactly the way it was supposed to. Otherwise, there would have been no future for Kagome to be raised in to begin with."

Sasha stepped forward and patted Sesshomaru lightly on the shoulder, glad that he had finally (and grudgingly) removed his armor and outfit and was now brandishing a lovely white tee and a pair of jeans. "You're a good man, Sesshomaru. It may not mean much, but I would be proud to have you for a son in law."

Sesshomaru smiled a half grin smile that warmed and broke Sasha's heart all at once. It was a sad smile, a broken smile, like he had tried to do it once many years ago and failed miserably. But it was also a smile that contained hope, no matter how pained it was. Hope that he may someday have a reason to smile once more. An unbreakable hope.

A hope that was doomed from birth.

If somebody were to ask Kagome why she was in the kitchen cooking her own birthday cake, she would have simply smiled and shrugged. But she knew why.

It filled her with a quiet joy that Sesshomaru might try and taste her cooking.

Though some people might consider it a bit old fashioned, Kagome had always had fantasies about feeding her husband, her partner.

Kagome froze. _Did she just think of him as her husband?_

She quickly shrugged it off. Was it really so strange? He was fascinated with her, and only her, something she had longed for a long time. And he was nice, quiet, definitely not a pushover, arrogant, cool, regal, cocky, and caring.

_And horny._

She added that one in with a smile.

She looked out the alcove in the kitchen to the living room and was happy to see him and her mother making conversation. She could have focused on something else, given them their privacy, but what fun was bionic hearing if she couldn't use it every now and again.

"You haven't told her that she has to choose yet, have you? That the well magic will only let her pass through if she passes with you? And that you can only pass through once more?" Kagome paled. _What had her mother just said?_ There was no way she had heard her correctly. She could only pass through the well one more time with Sesshomaru?! There was no way! She was suppose to choose between an uncertain future in the past with a demon or a clear and, if she really must admit it, dull life in the present with her family?

She kept listening for more details

"It is a heavy burden that she has to carry. Protect the Shikon Jewel. Protect the Western Wolves. Get good grades. Be strong. Care for her family. How can I make her decide? It's not right. Maybe I should just stay here…" If Sasha hadn't screamed out no, Kagome would have. And for the same reasons.

"Don't you ever think like that again. You have heavy burdens to bear too, Sesshomaru, and you could alter all of time if you stay here. You have to go back and protect your lands, whether she comes with you or not. You have no option. You are not welcome here." Though Sasha made him sound a bit like a leper, Kagome agreed wholeheartedly. He didn't belong here, not yet. He had things to do in the past, people to protect, a life to live.

_But wouldn't that mean that she didn't belong here either?_

Kagome shuddered at the thought, and would have gone on questioning her own mortality if Sasha hadn't continued.

"I apologize, Sesshomaru. It really is Midoriko's fault, though, for making it so that she couldn't have everything. Making it so that she had to choose… she may have been a holy woman, but she was a cruel woman none the less."

Kagome had to agree. What else but a cruel woman would make her suffer so? Just for a chance at life? She'd take death any day, though she would never do it by her own hand. She had too much pride for that. Suicide was a fool's death, a loser's death, and _wimp's_ death, and Kagome was none of the above. But it would have been so much easier if she had just died that night… If only she could have just…

"And also a wise woman. She not only knew that the time flax wasn't supposed to be disrupted anymore than it already is, but she also knew to keep a helpless baby in the world, for no reason other than it was a child. Breed hadn't mattered to her, and I would be happy to do everything over again the same way, just for that. But we do know one thing."

Kagome stilled. That was right. She wasn't the only one who had suffered. As she had come to learn over the last week, Sesshomaru had suffered a great deal by his father's hand so that everyone could keep living on- passively, peacefully as was possibly for the time period. But he had one reward.

He would someday be allowed his own choice in mates.

Her.

Suddenly Kagome didn't feel quiet so alone.

"What's that?" Kagome heard her mother ask.

"Everything turned out exactly the way it was supposed to. Otherwise, there would have been no future for Kagome to be raised in to begin with."

It was about this time Kagome decided thinking was too much of a hassle.

"You're a good man, Sesshomaru. It may not mean much, but I would be proud to have you for a son in law."

Kagome felt her heart skip a beat when he did nothing to tell her mother that she was not to be his bride. _He really did want her!_

She felt rather foolish now, denying him anything. She loved him, oh yes, she really did, and she didn't know why. She didn't know when she started to love him, only that now, as she looked back, she couldn't remember how she had found the strength to get up each morning before this week, and she couldn't imagine another day without him near her side.

But she stuttered. _He was a dog demon_. Kagome knew from her biology books that canine's treatment of their mated widely varied. The wolves, for instance, mated for life, and were loyal to their mates and only their mates. Dogs however… dogs were never loyal to their mated, only their masters.*

Kagome feel to her knees then, and supported her whole body with her arms. She cried silently, tearlessly, and knew that no matter how much he would love her…

He was still just a dog.

And Kagome couldn't have her heart broken again.

The day passed tearfully, rather than joyfully. Everyone seemed to be picking up on Kagome's distress, despite her best efforts to hide her tears behind smiles. But soon, all of her friends excused themselves and left to go home. Only Ayumi remained, Kagome's sole comfort. That sat in her room, on her bed, and Kagome couldn't believe how unfamiliar all of this was. _Had it really only been a week?_

"Kagome, I know that something is wrong. Quit being so strong. Everyone needs to cry sometime, just let it out. Tell me what's wrong." Ayumi's voice was as soft and comforting as her hands rubbing Kagome's back, and she had no choice but to comply.

"Ayumi, what would you do if you were in love with someone who loved you?"

Ayumi smiled as if the answer was as obvious as it seemed. "I'd marry him."

"And if you knew for a fact, no matter how much he loved you, that he would seek other women?"

Ayumi frowned. "You mean cheat?" Kagome nodded. "I'd put his ass in line and show him who the master around the house was."

Kagome winced at the word master and thought back to her earlier thought. _Only loyal to their masters, never their mates._ "Are master and mate the same thing?" Kagome asked, careful to have the wording revel all that they needed to get a correct answer.

Ayumi nodded. "In a healthy relationship, there is always the love. That's the mates. But there is also a sense of connection, and of loyalty. That's the masters. If you really loved him, and he really loved you, you wouldn't have to ask me this question, Kagome, you would be planning on what color your wedding dress would be."

Kagome shook her head. "It's not that simple."

Ayumi shrugged. "Then make it complicated for me."

"Do you believe in demons? Time travel? Mythical jewels that grant unlimited power to its possessor?"

Ayumi gripped her head in mock pain. "It's complicated now, isn't it?"

Kagome nodded once.

"I won't ask too many questions. I know that you can't possibly tell me all the answers, right?" Another nod. "Okay, then tell me this, is the demon you are referring to the one you are in love with?" Another nod. "He's a dog demon, right?" Two nods. Ayumi shrugged. "If he loves you, honor will bind him to only you. If he lusts for you, chances are he won't lust again."

"How do you know?"

Ayumi laughed, and her gaze got reminiscent. "I used to have two dogs. I bought them together, because the pound had found them together and they never left each others side. I grew up with those dogs, and though I know they loved me, I always knew that they loved each other so much more. Never once did Sanji, he was my boy, even sniff another female. And Sango, she was my girl, never strayed from him, even when she was in heat."

"What happened to them?" Kagome asked, now enthralled.

Ayumi's eyes filled with tears. "Sanji was hit by a car one day. Mom was walking them, and a male came by and barked at Sango. Sanji took off after him like a dog out of hell and was hit by a car. He died a few hours later."

Kagome gasped, but told Ayumi to go on.

Ayumi sighed. "Sango didn't eat for a week. She just lay in their bed, looking a little dazed. Every once in a while, she would get up, sniff around a little, whimper, and look at me as if she were asking, why hasn't he come back from the vet yet?" Ayumi wiped her eyes and continued. "I told her in her ear about day four that he had died, and she just sort of lost her spirit. Her ears drooped, her tail was between her legs, and she didn't have the strength to get up. She lived seven days before she died, crying in her sleep."

Kagome wept, pure tears of sadness. "That's so sad! They were so in love, why did god make it so that it was impossible for them to be together?" Kagome asked as she hugged her knees to her chest.

"The point is, Kagome, not all dogs cheat. Some, the ones that really, really love each other, live life devoted and with no regrets. Sango and Sanji didn't have any. They lived five years, and every day they spent together."

Kagome smiled and hugged her friend. "Thank you, you have made my choice so much easier."

Kagome wasn't looking for a happily ever after. But she didn't want to live with any regrets.

And hopefully Sesshomaru had none.

Sesshomaru simply regretted that he hadn't been able to follow the girls upstairs.

He had planned to give it to her, the shikon no tama engagement ring, right when the two girls had gone upstairs. But as she descended the stairs, eyes sparkling with new found strength and joy, he was glad that he had waited. Now it was simply a matter of getting her alone.

Ayumi saw the way he looked at her, with lust, and with joy at her simply being there. She saw the way his eyes had brightened just a little, and how his back had straightened when she walked into the room. _Oh yes, they were like Sanji and Sango_.

"Goodbye, Kagome." Ayumi said, and was shocked when she wanted to cry. It was like she was never going to see her again. Ayumi shook her head. That was ridiculous. _Wasn't it?_

"I'll walk you to the gate." Kagome said as she opened the door, but her hand was covered by Sesshomaru's before she could turn it.

The spark ran through both of them quickly, and as soon as their eyes meet, they each seemed to look just a bit more complete, from Ayumi's point of view.

"You two go outside, have some fresh air. I know my way out, Kagome." Ayumi said with a smile, and pushed her lightly out her door. Sesshomaru was about to follow when he felt Ayumi tugged on his arm.

"Treat her good. She only deserves the best. She's my Sango." Ayumi said with a smile. "Be good to her, Sanji." And with that, Ayumi left. Sesshomaru never even got to ask her what she meant.

And it didn't really matter. Not with the shikon no tama sitting in his pocket, and not with his love sitting on the lip of the well, waiting for him to come to her.

_Can't keep her waiting._

Kagome smiled as he reached her and looked up at the glistening sky. Its colors ranged form reds to purples, all focused around one bright, orange orb floating dangerously low to the horizon.

"It's so beautiful, Sesshomaru. It almost looks as if it's painted on, doesn't it?" Kagome said, smile wistful.

Sesshomaru nodded. She had seemed to enjoy art, perhaps he would buy her a canvas and oils to make her own.

"It seems almost perfect, doesn't it?"

Kagome nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. Nothing could go wrong, at least not for another few minutes. Right now, everything was perfect.

"It seems like the perfect time to give you this." Sesshomaru said as he pulled out a small velvet box from his jeans and handed it to her.

Kagome's eyes widened and filled with joyful tears as she looked at the box, back at him, then at the box again.

"You promised me one week. One week to make you fall in love with me. Now I'm asking you to promise me an eternity to keep showing you how much I do love you." Sesshomaru dropped to his knees and placed his hands on the ground before her. "I am weak without you. My title, lands, money, it's all for not if I can't have the only woman in the world who can make my heart race." To prove his point, he gripped her hand in his and held it to his chest. "Make my life perfect. Marry me."

Kagome was about to nod yes, about to agree, when she felt him open the box. All at once the aura of the shikon no tama was everywhere, and when she looked, down, she was surprised to see half of the jewel in a silver setting. She immediately paled and felt herself jerk back and make herself smaller.

"Why couldn't I feel it?" Kagome asked as she touched the incomplete surface of the jewel in awe and amazement.

"Midoriko hid it from you until I gave it to you. You remember the legend. The dog demon was to share the duties of protecting the jewel with the wolf miko." Sesshomaru smiled at her and started to put it on her fingers.

The last thing Sesshomaru had been expecting Kagome to do was recoil.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked, suddenly very, very afraid.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Don't you ever get tired of having someone else run your life, Sesshomaru? First you father, and now Midoriko. She's even apart of the damned engagement ring!" Kagome said, suddenly angry that she hadn't realized before. None of the decisions had been theirs. All other peoples.

"I can get you a different ring." Sesshomaru said and put the ring back in his pocket.

"It isn't about the ring!"

"Then what is it about!?!" Sesshomaru felt exasperated.

Kagome took a deep breath. _No regrets._ "This was all Midoriko's plan from the beginning. Find a good strong pair of demons who will willing guard the jewel with their lives. Don't you feel at all played? Are you sure this is even your decision?" _Please let it be your decision, _Kagome prayed.

"Apparently you do. What's wrong with her using her own motives? Everyone is happy in the end, right? So what does it matter?"

Kagome flinched. "It matters to me!" Kagome winced and looked away. "I would rather live here, without you, than to live there, with you, and have you slowly fallen out of love with me every day. Be bound to me by a promise. I couldn't do that, Sesshomaru." _Tell me I won't have to do that._

"You really want to stay here, Kagome? Stay here, where you don't belong, where you never could belong, with out the man you do belong with?" Sesshomaru asked, the closest to tears he had ever been in his long life. _Why? He thought she loved him? All because it was started by someone with ulterior motives?_

Kagome nodded, and turned away from the well. The words _no, no!_ Echoed over and over in her mind. "It's been a real good week for me, Sesshomaru. But love is something that I'm not ready to live without."

"But, I love you." Sesshomaru said. "Why else would I give you every thing I am." He took her hand and forced her to look at him. "Take me as I am, my love, please. Take all of me, my downfalls, and my strengths. Love me as I love you."

Kagome pulled her hand out of his grasp. "It's too hard to love again. Maybe, just maybe, someday it won't be so hard and I can love again. And it may be with you. But for now, I'm not ready."

Sesshomaru smiled lightly, trying to cover the tears he knew he couldn't shed. _He wouldn't let her see him cry._ And above all else, _he wouldn't let her know how much he would miss her._

"I love you, Kagome. And I'm gonna miss loving you." Sesshomaru grabbed her hand and held it to his cheek. "I'm gonna miss the comfort of your embrace." He lifted the pads of her fingertips to his lips. "I shall miss the loneliness of waiting for you to come to me. Of waiting for your scent to come near the well. Of waiting for my girl who will never come." Kagome began to cry. _Why was he making this so much harder for her?_ "I shall miss the joy of our kisses, and I shall miss the pains of our fights." Kagome shook harder as he leaned in and tapped his forehead against hers. "And, after a time, I shall truly, truly miss," Here, he lay a soft kiss upon her lips. "Missing you."

Kagome shook her head in denial. "No! No more kind words! I can't take any more hope, Sesshomaru! I can't hope for love anymore. And I truly can't hope that love will work out okay, because the truth is, I don't know if it's going to be okay!"

Sesshomaru released Kagome's hands, which she threw to her face to hide her tears. He was backing up to the well, giving her little time to change her mind. He felt the back of his knees tap the wood, and sheer panic surged over him. _She's not going to stop me from leaving!_ He realized. _Please Kagome, please, please tell me to not leave you! Ask to come with me, anything! _

But Kagome didn't do anything.

Sesshomaru knew that if he didn't leave know, he would do something stupid. _Like show his tears_.

He bent his knees and prepared to fall backwards into the well.

"I would rather you go and regret your going than to stay and regret your staying." Kagome said as she grabbed onto the hem of his shirt, waiting for his answer.

_Did she want him to go?_ Sesshomaru wasn't sure. But he did know that there was only one right answer, and he had to make it now.

"The only thing I could ever regret, Kagome, would be not holding one more time." And with that, he threw his arms around her.

Kagome sobbed openly into his chest before she jerked away. "No! It's too big of a risk to love!" And with that, Kagome stepped just out of reach of Sesshomaru's grasp.

_That's what she really wants…_

"No regrets." Sesshomaru told her as he allowed himself to fall backwards into the well.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The walls were disappearing around him, being replaced by a bright blue light. He felt moisture on his cheeks, and realized he was crying. He smirked. Was it any shock? No, the real shock was that right before the well magic sealed itself up, he saw Kagome make a dive down the well for him.

"_A Ghra_…" Sesshomaru whispered as he saw her tear streaked face diving for him. And then, the well magic was gone.

Sesshomaru sat in the bottom of the well for a long time, staring at the bottom. _She can't reach me anymore… the magic's all used up…_ Placing one hand one the bottom of the well, he realized what she meant when she asked him to not regret it. _"Don't regret choosing me…_" Tears flowed freely from his eyes, but for the first time, Sesshomaru didn't care who saw. She was gone, and she wasn't coming back.

_But he could still reach her someday…_

Sesshomaru nodded and patted the pocket of his jeans where the ring still laid, decision final. After all, what better way to prove his love for her?

* * *

"NO!" She screamed as she hit the bottom with a dull thud. _He actually left me! He actually left me!_ Frantically, Kagome began to dig. "Come back, dammit! You bastard! Come back to me!" Sobbing, Kagome punched the bottom of the well.

She lay down there for a few more hours, trying to figure out why the gods were so cruel. They gave her something so perfect, and then took it away. No, she corrected herself, she sent it away like the idiot that she was. And now, she would never see him again.

Rising, broken and battered, Kagome slowly scaled the ladder and stepped out of the well house. She would never see him again. She would never see him…

"Excuse me, miss?" A deep voice that Kagome knew too well asked her. Looking up, she saw him. _Sesshoumaru!_ A few things were different, though. His hair was darker, just in the slightest, and his marking were gone. His clothes were modern, and Kagome knew right away what had happened.

Kagome rose, not believing her eyes. "I didn't want to send you away…" Kagome said as she reached out, not sure if he was real.

Sesshomaru smirked, the same half-grin that she had fallen in love with. _Yes, love._ It was there in her heart, the same way she was in his.

"Excuse me miss, I am currently afflicted with the world's number one crippler. IFP- Infatuation fixation paralysis." Kagome's face picked up in the slightest, and her eyes, which she thought she had cried out, began to tear again. "It is more commonly referred to as love. Any spare comfort you have would be most appreciated, although my ability to receive has been impaired for the past 500 years."

Kagome smiled and touched his face as if he would break. "Have you tried red cross yet?"

Sesshomaru smiled, a light smile that softened his eyes. A smile she hadn't seen on him before. "Ah, Red Cross. The bastards kept turning me away. And then they refused to send over a pretty nurse to make it all better."

Kagome slapped him mockingly, and he grinned as he rubbed it. "What was that for?"

"For misinterpreting me, you ass!"

"You weren't very clear, you know! You really should stop beating around the bush and just say whatever you want to say! It would make things a lot-"

Whatever he was going to say was never spoken. Not with Kagome latched onto his lips like he would leave her again. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into the air, so that they were eye level.

He pulled away. "It's a risk to love, Kagome. What if it doesn't work out? What if-"

Kagome pressed a finger to his lips. It had been a long 500 years for him, she was sure, and it would be a long eternity that they would spend together. "Ah, yes. What if it doesn't work out. Here's a question for you…" Kagome pressed her forehead to his and kissed his nose. "What if it does?"

Sesshomaru smiled and pulled the ring out of his front pocket. Kneeling down on one knee before her, it offered it once again. "I hope your answer will be different. And I don't know if the ring will fit. I didn't know your size, so I had it shaped the size of my pinky."

Kagome held out her hand, and he slipped the ring on the second finger of her left hand. It had barely rested before Kagome threw her arms around his neck and melted them together for all time.

Never, in all of time and space, had there been a more perfect fit.

… _Fin_


End file.
